A blog about Irish Lighthouses past and present and other selected maritime beacons and buoys of interest

Monday, September 5, 2016

Castlemaine Beacon Update

Back in July, I had a long and ultimately fruitless walk up the length of Rossbeigh Spit to try and find the Castlemaine Beacon. Sadly, we didn't see it and we didn't even get the benefit of admiring the stunning coastal scenery of Glenbeigh as it was a very windy and rainy day. Furthe renquiries revealed that the beacon, which had been severely damaged by weather and coastal erosion and had been listing at a crazy angle, finally succumbed to the elements in February 2011.

That could easily have been the end of the story. A light that had stood for over 150 years gone, swept away. Another lost lighthouse to add to the already formidable collection around our coastline - Cranfield Point, Wicklow old low light, Calf Rock, Horse Rock, the pair of lights on Oyster Island, Belfast Harbour etc etc. But the good people of Glenbeigh had other ideas and painstakingly collected the stones from the original tower (which had become cut off from the mainland at high tide) to build an exact replica of the 39 feet tall stone tower complete with mast, next to the sports field in the village of Glenbeigh, where it doesn't have to battle raging seas any more, like an old racehorse put out to pasture.

2 comments:

Good day Pete. I have been busy and neglecting the blogs (my own and those I follow) and I apologize. Just spent some time catching up and your recent photos and write ups are great, always informative. Cheers, Neal

Hi Neal. Well its a hobby that seems to come in fits and starts, so neglect is very much a part of it! That said, I always look forward to your new posts! Hope you're keeping well and thanks for your kind words, Pete

About Me

I work in a warehouse which as you can imagine is very stimulating. I follow Shelbourne FC and football in general. Happily married for over 20 years to Monica with two great no-longer kids, Louise and Neil.
I mainly write humorous verse but have written serious verse, a book of essays, a novel and a biography. But still can't put up a shelf.